Boxcutters are useful both for opening packages and settling scores. But I wouldn’t need to use one if packaging tape could be opened on its own, and if deadbeats would pay me my money on time.
Design can’t do anything about the latter situation, but it can solve the former. Rip Cord, a concept currently under development at Quirky, is a brilliant idea for packaging tape whereby a string is embedded along the tape’s centerline.
A smart milk jug is being developed by Quirky with help from GE. It’s being called Milkmaid and for all the intelligence the overall appearance is stunning.
They’ve achieved this by putting all the technology in the base. It’s solid glass, it measures pH levels (no more smelling and taste testing), and it pings you when the amount is low through SMS.
Parents and anyone that has milk play a vital necessity in their life will want a Milkmaid. It not only will make the inside of your fridge look great but it solves some problems.
Forgetting to get milk on your way back from work or ensuring that you don’t pour yourself a bowl of cereal only to know the milk has gone bad are the key problems the Milkmaid solves.
What would be neat is if dairy companies went back to glass that would fit on the Milkmaid. The Europeans were right in milk delivery.
Quirky is hoping to make more things in America because it sees benefits in being close to manufacturing technology. “The amount of creativity that happens when you are standing next to a machine that’s making hundreds of thousands of things is much greater than when you are working 4,000 miles away,” says Mr Kaufman. “Your mind is spinning as to what else you can design for the machine to make.”
We will be talking about 3D Printing very soon. Stay tuned.
Quirky’s Manifesto. They are a social product development company and something that inspired us. We are almost like a Quirky + Kickstarter but lets not go there…
